Compact and Ergonomic Ball-Launching Dog Toy

ABSTRACT

A ball-launching device includes a housing, ball holder, elastomeric member, cocking member, latch, and trigger assembly. The housing has an opening at a first end defining an elongated cavity. The ball holder is disposed in the housing cavity and slidable in an axial direction from a first position proximate to the opening at the housing first end, to a second position. The elastomeric member is selectively arranged within the housing to bias the ball holder toward the first position. The cocking member includes a first portion disposed outside of the housing, being usable to move the ball holder into a cocked position where the latch may oppose the bias of the elastomeric member and releasably secure the cocking member and the ball holder thereat. Actuating the trigger assembly releases the latch, permitting the elastomeric member to accelerate the ball holder towards the housing first end to launch the ball therefrom.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority on U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 62/314,542 filed on Mar. 29, 2016, the disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to pet toys, and more particularly to aball launcher that may be used to play fetch with a dog.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The game of fetch is typically played with a dog, although some catshave been known to enjoy playing the game as well. The game is fun forboth the pet and the pet owner, and also provides exercise for theanimal at the same time. To play the game, an object (e.g., a stick, aball, or a Frisbee) is grasped by the pet owner and is thrown or flungsome distance away, while the dog is watching such actions. Ordinarily,the pet owner will also yell “fetch” as a keyword to indicate the gameis being played, and that the dog is to retrieve the object. Many dogsplay the game instinctively, while others need some help in learning tonot only chase after the object, but to bring it back as well.

Most dogs enjoy playing the game almost endlessly, which can also betiring for the owner. Flinging the object greater and greater distancesso that the dog needs to work harder and run farther may also wear outthe pet owner. Using a ball to play the game offers some advantages,such as its ability to bounce and roll to cover even greater distances,as well as its shape naturally tending to sit up off the ground for thedog to more easily grasp it with its jaws. Using a ball to play the gamealso allows it to be launched greater distances using a ball launcherpet toy device.

An example of such a prior art ball launching pet toy is shown by U.S.Pat. No. 8,245,702 to Lendvay for a “Dog Ball Shooting Device.” Thedevice of the '702 patent includes an outer tube, and an inner tube thatslidably retracts into the inner tube, against the bias provided by aspring, and may be releasably held therein by a ratchet mechanism andgripping mechanism, until the trigger is actuated to launch the ball.The Lendvay device is “shaped and sized like a walking cane” andrequires that the user push down on the handle to cock the device.

The present invention offers advantages over prior art ball launchingdevices.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a mechanical device that maybe used to launch a ball.

It is another object of the invention to provide a device that may beused by a dog owner to play the game of fetch using a ball.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a mechanical balllaunching device that is compact and easily operated by a small boy orgirl to launch a ball at least 50 feet.

It is another object of the invention to provide a ball launching devicethat is capable of reloading the ball into the launching chamber withoutthe pet owner having to pick up the ball using his/her hands.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a ball launching devicethat may launch a ball to any one of several different distances, to bein accordance with a current launch distance desired by the pet owner.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentfrom the following description and claims, and from the accompanyingdrawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

In accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention, acompact ball-launching dog toy may broadly include a housing, a ballholder, an elastomeric member, and a cockling member. The housing may beelongated, having a first end and a second end, and may-have an openingat the first end defining an elongated interior surface of a cavity. Thehousing may also have another opening that may be interconnected withthe cavity, and which opening may be elongated. The ball holder may bedisposed in the housing cavity and may be configured to slide in anaxial direction of the housing from a first position proximate to theopening at the housing first end, to a second position being between thefirst position and the housing second end. The elastomeric member may bea rod shape with a length selectively arranged within the housing tobias the ball holder from the second position towards the firstposition. The cocking member may be coupled to the ball holder, and mayinclude: a first portion disposed outside of the housing; a secondportion disposed within the housing cavity; and a neck portion betweenthe first, and second portions, with the neck portion configured to beslidable within the elongated housing opening. With this embodiment, thefirst portion of the cocking member may actuated by a user to oppose thebias of the elastomeric member, by pulling the cocking member toward theuser's body into, a cocked position, while the second end of the housingmay be conveniently positioned against the user's body, for the ballholder to be moved from the first position at least part-way towards thesecond position.

In another embodiment, the compact ball-launching dog toy mayadditionally include a latch configured to releasably secure the cockingmember and the ball holder at the cocked position, to releasably holdthe elastomeric member in an extended position, to oppose the biasthereof. The latch could be manually released by the user to permit theelastomeric member to accelerate-the ball holder towards the housingfirst end to launch the ball therefrom.

In yet another embodiment of the compact ball-launching dog toy, thecocking member may be releasably coupled to the ball holder, and thedevice may additionally include a trigger assembly movably mounted tothe housing. The trigger assembly may be configured, when actuated, totrigger the latch, to release the ball holder and permit the elastomericmember to accelerate the ball holder towards the housing first end tolaunch the ball therefrom.

Alternatively, a first pulley and a second pulley may be rotatablymounted to a first side and a second side of the housing cavity,respectively, in proximity to the housing first end. The elastomericmember may have a first end and a second end, each respectively securedto the first side and the second side of the housing cavity, inproximity to the housing second end, with the elastomeric member woundover the first pulley, around a portion of the ball holder, and over thesecond pulley, to provide the described bias.

The latch may include a pawl, a plurality of teeth formed on thehousing, a hook member, and a spring. The plurality of ratchet teeth,may protrude from the interior surface of the housing cavity, theratchet teeth may be successively positioned between the first end andthe second end of the housing, and may be in proximity to the elongatedopening that is interconnected with the cavity. The pawl may bepivotally mounted to the cocking member, with a first portion of thepawl configured to engage one of the plurality of ratchet teeth at thecocked position. The hook member may have a first end and a second end,the first end of the hook member may include a hook portion. The hookmember may be pivotally mounted, distally from the first end, to thesecond portion of the cocking member. The spring may be configured tobias the hook portion of the hook member to pivot towards the secondcocking member portion. A recess in the ball holder-may be configured toreceive the hook portion of the hook member therein, which mayautomatically engage the recess of the ball holder, when the cockingmember is moved into proximity with the ball holder at its firstposition, to be releasably coupled thereto. A spring may be used, tobias the pawl into engagement with the one of the plurality of ratchetteeth, to releasably retain the coupled cocking member and ball, holderat the cocked position. Therefore, when the trigger assembly isactuated, it may cause disengagement of the hook portion of the hookmember from the recess in the ball holder, for the elastomeric member toaccelerate the ball holder toward, the housing first end.

The pivotally mounted pawl may have a second portion disposed outside ofthe housing, being actuable to pivot the pawl to become disengaged fromthe one of the plurality of ratchet teeth, for the cocking member tofreely move with respect to the elongated housing opening. This maypermit the cocking member to be moved to a different cocked position toengage a different tooth thereat (with the elastomeric member to storinggreater or lesser strain energy), or to be moved so the ball holder maybe returned to its first position, without launching the ball. The firstportion of the cocking member may include a finger graspable recess on atop thereof, being configured to receive at least four fingers of a userto be usable to extend the elastomeric member, and the second portion ofthe pawl may be disposed in proximity to the finger graspable recess ofthe first portion of the cocking member to readily accommodate suchadjustments.

The housing may include a handle portion extending away from a bottom ofthe housing, proximate to the second end. The trigger assembly mayinclude a trigger member and a release member. The trigger member may beslidably mounted with respect to the handle portion of the housing. Therelease member may include a transverse member and a pair of elongatedarms configured to extend from the transverse member in the axialdirection of the housing, at a bottom of the housing cavity. A top ofeach of the pair of arms include a plurality of teeth, and side of eachof the pair of arms may include a pair of shaped openings. The housingmay house a pair of pins protruding inwardly into the cavity from afirst side and a second side of the cavity. Thus, the pair of shapedopening on each of the pair of arms may be configured to respectivelytrack on the pins on the first and second sides of the housing to causethe arms to first elevate, for one of the teeth to engage with the hookmember, and to subsequently translated axially to drive the hook memberto cause the disengagement of the hook portion from the recess of theball holder. Thereafter, the elastomeric member may accelerate theuncoupled ball holder toward the housing first end.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The description of the various example embodiments is explained inconjunction with appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the ball launching dog toy of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the ball launching dog toy of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional perspective view through the mid-plane ofthe ball launching dog toy of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view through the mid-plane of the balllaunching dog toy of FIG. 2, shown with the elastomeric member removed.

FIG. 5 is the cross-sectional view of FIG. 4, but shown with the pulleycover also removed, and shown with the ball holder having been movedfrom the ball launch position of FIG. 4 into a distal cocked position.

FIG. 6 is the cross-sectional view-of FIG. 5, but shown with the ballholder having been moved into a central cocked position, and alsoshowing the elastomeric member.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged detail view showing the muzzle end of the balllaunching dog toy illustrated in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional top view through the bad launching dog toyof FIG. 2.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged detail view showing the muzzle end of the balllaunching dog toy illustrated in FIG. 8, being shown with theelastomeric member removed.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged detail, view showing the muzzle end of the balllaunching dog toy illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 11 is the enlarged detail view of FIG. 10, shown with the pulleycover and elastomeric member removed, and shown with the ball clamp,carriage, and slide, handle removed.

FIG. 12 is a detail perspective view of the ball holder.

FIG. 13 is a detail perspective view showing the carriage and slidehandle joined together.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the carriage and slide handle ofFIG. 13, with the carriage releasably engaged with the ball holder.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged detail view showing the butt end of the balllaunching dog toy illustrated in FIG. 6.

FIG. 16 illustrates the dimensions for certain features of the 5thpercentile male and female, the 50th percentile male and female, and the95th percentile male and female.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As used throughout this specification, the word “may” is used in apermissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather thanthe mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words“include,” “including,” and “includes” mean including but not limitedto.

The phrases “at least one”, “one or more”, and “and/or” are open-endedexpressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. Forexample, each of the expressions “at least one of A, B and C”, “one ormore of A, B, and C”, and “A, B, and/or C” means all of the followingpossible combinations: A alone; or B alone;, or C alone; or A and Btogether; or A and C together; or B and C together; or A, B and Ctogether.

Also, all references (e.g., patents, patent publications, and non-patentliterature) that are cited within this documents are incorporated hereinin their entirety by reference.

Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics ofany particular embodiment disclosed in the following specification, maybe combined in any suitable manner with any of the other embodimentsdisclosed herein.

It is further noted that any use herein of relative terms such as “top,”“bottom, ” “upper,” “lower,” “vertical,” and “horizontal” are merelyintended to be descriptive for the reader, based on the depiction ofthose features within the figures for one particular position of thedevice, and such terms are not intended to limit the orientation withwhich the device of the present invention may be utilized.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the ball-launching dog toy 10of the present invention. The ball launching device 10 may broadlyinclude a housing, a ball holder, an elastomeric member, a cockingmember, a latch, and a trigger.

The housing 20 may be formed as a single elongated piece, or may beadvantageously formed in two halves, and may be split roughly at themid-plane 20M shown in FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 3, the first (muzzle)end 21 of housing 20 may be formed with an opening 20P defining anelongated interior surface 20S of a cavity, while the second end 22 mayform the butt end of the launcher 10. An elongated opening 20T may alsobe formed in the housing 20 to interconnect with the interior cavity.The opening 20T (see FIG. 1) may be formed at the top of the housing 20,at the mid-plane 20M, and may extend at least part-way between the firstend 21 and second end 22. A lower portion of the housing 20 may beformed with a handle that may include a hand grip portion 20H and atrigger guard 20G (FIG. 2). The housing 20 may also include an outwardlyprotruding ring 20R configured, to receive and store a ball therein—aball that may be used by the launcher 10. The ball used by the launcher10 may be any suitable ball, and may be an ordinary tennis ball, or itmay be a ball specially constructed to be used as a pet toy, and may bemore durable in its construction, which may include a squeaker mountedtherein.

As seen in FIGS. 3-4, the housing 20 of the ball launching device 10 maybe configured to receive a ball holder 30 in a slidable relation withinthe housing cavity. The ball holder 30 may be slidable in the axialdirection 20X from a first position proximate to the opening 20P at thehousing first end 21 (FIG. 3), to a second position being proximate tothe housing second end 22 (FIG. 4), and these positional limitations maybe related to the positioning and length of the elongated opening 20T,as described hereinafter. The ball holder 30 is shown in detail in theperspective view of FIG. 12, and may be formed to create a generallyspherical shape-configured to receive a portion of the ball therein. Thegenerally spherical shape may be formed by a first member 33 and asecond member 34, each of which may be generally arcuate, and each ofwhich may also be formed as a spherical sector. At least one of thefirst member 33 and the second member 34 may have an inward protrudinglip (e.g., lip 33Li). Alternatively, the first member 33 and the secondmember 34 may respectively be formed with inward protruding lip 33Li andinward protruding lip 33Lii, which, may be at its distal ends. The firstand second inward protruding lips may be configured to releasably engagethe ball in a slight friction fit. The extent of the friction fit may beat least such that the ball launcher 10 may be aimed down toward theball as it rests on the ground, and by pressing the ball holder 30against the ball the ball may be engaged by the lips just sufficientlyto retain the ball therein, without it felling out when being lifted offthe ground. This permits the pet owner to utilize the ball launcher 10to reload the ball into the device, without having to grasp the ballusing his/her hand, which may be advantageous after the pet has carriedthe ball in its mouth multiple times, so that the ball had therebybecome moistened and possibly soiled from repeated contact with theground.

The ball holder 30 may have a first side flange 31 and a second sideflange 32 (FIG. 12), which flanges may be configured to respectivelyslide in track 20KL and track 20KR on the left and right sides of thehousing 20 within its cavity (see FIG. 9). Each of the flanges 31 and 32may have a protrusion 30F protruding laterally therefrom. Theprotrusions 30F may be used to contact corresponding compression springs35 on each of the left and right sides of the housing (see e.g., FIG.7), as the ball holder reaches the housing first end 21, to quicklydecelerate the ball holder and prevent localized shock loading of thehousing, while the ball is ejected therefrom.

The ball holder 30 may be biased toward its first position using anysuitable apparatus. However, an elastomeric member may be moreeffectively used in order that the housing 20 be formed to be verycompact and the component parts of the device be economically arranged,as the elastomeric member may desirably be configured to accelerate theball holder 30 to launch the ball a distance of at least 50 feet, whileoccupying a relatively small volume within the housing cavity. In asimple embodiment, the elastomeric member may have a rod shape (i.e., acircular cross-section), and each of its ends may be secured proximateto the first end 21 of the housing 20, and a central portion of theelastomeric member may he secured to (or may just wrap around) a portionof the ball holder 30 (e.g., the elastomeric member may pass through anopening in one or both of the flanges, such as opening 35 in flange 31).Therefore, as the ball holder 30 is moved away front the first positiontowards its second position, the elastomeric member would becomeincreasingly elongated and store increasing amounts of strain energythat may be used to accelerate the ball holder, when released, to launchthe ball out the housing first end 21. This arrangement may resemble theaction provided by a sling shot, but may be limited in its ability tostore sufficient strain energy to launch the ball as far as desired,without having the elastomeric member utilized be so stiff as to preventa young person or an elderly person from being able to cock the device.

To provide for greater stored strain energy, using the same diameter andmaterial type, a longer elastomeric member 40 may be used. The longerelastomeric member 40 may take on any suitable shape, and may be made ofany suitable material type. However, in one embodiment, the elastomericmember 40 may be a natural latex rubber rod having a diameter of ¼ inch,and a tensile strength of 2500 psi, which in combination with lengthsdisclosed herein for the housing, may launch the ball at least 50 feet,in one embodiment the elastomeric member 40 may also have a smoothtexture for its use herein, and may be medium soft, with a 40Adurometer. The longer elastomeric member 40 may be configured as shownin the side view of FIG. 6, and may operate in conjunction with a firstpulley 51 and a second pulley 52 (FIGS. 8-9), each being rotatablymounted to a first side and a second side of the housing 20,respectively, within the housing cavity. A first end 41 of theelastomeric member 40 may be secured to the right side of housing 20 inproximity to the housing second end 22, and may be anchored thereat witha plate 41P that may be secured to the housing using screws. A portion43 of the elastomeric member 40 may extend towards the first end 21 ofthe housing 20, and may wind over the top of pulley 51 (FIG. 7), afterwhich another portion 44 of the elastomeric member may extend backtowards the housing second end 22, but may pass through the opening 35of the ball holder 30. After passing through the opening 35 of the ballholder 30, a portion 45 of the elastomeric member 40 may extend backtowards to the first end 21 of the housing 20, and may wind over the topof pulley 52 on the left side of the housing, after which anotherportion 46 of the elastomeric member may extend back towards the housingsecond end 22, and the second end 42 of the elastomeric member maysimilarly be secured thereat using another plate 41P (FIG. 8).

This greater length and arrangement used for elastomeric member 40 maypermit the ball holder 30 to be moved from the first position shown inFIG. 3 to a distal position whereby the entire increased length of theelastomeric member 40 may also be used to store strain energy. Also, theportions 44 and 45 of the elastomeric member 40 may be respectivelyredirected by smaller pulleys 53/54 to be more central within the tracks20KR/20KL (FIG. 7), and may also pass behind a rotatable rod 55, whichmay reduce friction and wear, particularly at the end of travel as theball holder 30 reaches the first position. The smaller pulleys 53/54 androtatable rod 55 may also operate to assure proper winding of theelastomeric member 40 about the pulleys 51/52, and prevent disengagementtherefrom, as the ball holder 30 is biased back to the first position.

For the device 10 to be desirably used by a pet owner to launch a ballat a desired time and in a particular direction, the ball holder may bemoved into and maintained in a cocked position (i.e., with theelastomeric member deformed to store strain energy), using a cockingmember that may be coupled to the ball holder. In one embodiment, asshown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 13, a cocking member 60 may broadly include afirst portion 61 disposed outside of the housing 20; a second portion 62disposed within the housing cavity; and a neck portion 63 that mayconnect the first and second portions, with the neck portion configuredto be slidable within the elongated housing opening 20T. In anotherembodiment, the cocking member 60 may be integrally formed with the ballholder 30 (e.g., a neck portion may extend from the ball holder and passthrough the elongated opening in the housing, and may transition into agraspable portion that is disposed outside of the housing).

The first portion 61, the second portion 62, and the neck portion 63 mayall form a single integral part, or the first portion 61 and secondportion 62 may be separate parts that may be fastened together, as shownin FIG. 4, in which case the neck portion 63 may extend from either thefirst or second portions, and through which the fasteners may pass. Thetop exposed area of the first portion 61 of the cocking member 60 mayinclude an opening 61P defining a finger graspable recess 61R. Thelateral extent of the first portion 61 may be such that the fingergraspable recess 61R is large enough to receive at least four fingers ofa user (i.e., the index, middle, ring, and littler fingers), so that itmay thereby be grasped and used to oppose and elastically deform theelastomeric member 40. The compact arrangement for device 10, includingthe arrangement of the elastomeric member 40, may serve to permit theuser to grasp the first portion 61 of the cocking member 60 using recess61R, and pull the cocking member towards their body into a cockedposition, with the second end of the housing butting up against theuser's body, for the ball holder to be moved from the first positiontowards the second position. The ergonomics of this compact arrangementallows a user who may be less agile and who may possess less thanaverage strength (e.g., a young person, and elderly person, etc.) tononetheless safely and easily move the ball holder into a suitablecocked position, from which the cocking member may be released, topermit the elastomeric member to accelerate the ball holder towards thehousing first end to launch the ball therefrom. In one embodiment, thehousing may have a length, between its first end 21 and second end 22 of20 inches, as shown in FIG. 2, and the length of the elongated opening20T may be less than 19.5 inches, and may preferably be 16.5 inches, forwhich a length of the elastomeric member would preferably be in therange 700 mm to 800 mm, and may preferably be 750 mm, which may serve tolaunch a tennis ball at least 50 feet. The device 10 is accuratelydepicted in the figures using engineering drawings, and as shown in FIG.2 would thus accommodate use even by a small boy or girl or other smallperson (see e.g., the “B” and “C” dimensions for the 5th percentilewoman shown in FIG. 16).

As seen, in FIG. 13, the cocking member 60 may include a plurality ofwheels 68 rotatable attached to the first portion 61 and/or to thesecond portion 62, to rotatably engaged the outside and/or the inside ofthe housing 20, to permit the cocking member to more easily slide withrespect to the housing.

In another embodiment, a latching pawl member 70 may additionally beutilized to releasably secure the cocking member and the ball holder tothe housing 20, at a cocked position. As seen in FIG. 15, the latchingpawl member 70 may be pivotally mounted to a portion of the cockingmember 60, and the housing 20 may be formed to include a plurality ofratchet teeth (e.g., ratchet teeth 25A, 25B, 25C, 25D, etc.) that mayprotrude from the interior surface 20S into the housing cavity. Theratchet teeth may be successively positioned, and may begin at alocation between, the first end 21 and the second end 22 of the housing20, and may end proximate to the second end 22 of the housing. The pawl70 may have a tongue portion 71 that may be configured to engage any oneor more of the ratchet teeth (e.g., tooth 25C), when properly located,and rotated, as shown in FIG. 15, to releasably secure the cockingmember 60 at the corresponding cocked position. The top 72 of the pawl70 may extend above the cocking member 60, to permit such rotation bythe user, which may be conveniently clone using the thumb of the user'sband. The cocking member in this embodiment may be easily released, bytoggling the pawl 70 to cause it to counter-rotate, to causedisengagement of the tongue portion 71 from the housing tooth (e.g.,tooth 25C) with which it had been engaged, which would permit theelastomeric member to freely accelerate the ball holder towards thehousing first end to launch the ball therefrom.

It should be noted that this arrangement permits easy adjustment of theball holder 30 and cocking member 70 from the cocked position, to adifferent cocked position, to either increase or decrease the amount ofstrain energy stored by the elastomeric member 40, whereby the pawltongue 71 may engage a different tooth on the housing 20 (e.g., tooth25B or 25D). To further increase the stored strain energy, to launch theball farther, the user may insert his/her four fingers into the recess61R of cocking member 60 and may pull the cocking member towards thehousing second end 22 (e.g., towards their body, depending upon how thedevice 10 is being held), until the pawl tongue 71 of cocking member 70is engaged with another tooth, (e.g., tooth 25D) to occupy anothercocked position. To decrease the stored strain energy (e.g., causing thepawl tongue 71 to perhaps engage tooth 25B), or to even return the ballholder 30 all the way back to the first position, where the elastomericmember 40 may not possess any stored strain energy, the user may inserthis/her four fingers into the recess 61R of cocking member 60, and mayapply a force towards the housing second end 22, being just sufficientto counter the bias of the elastomeric member 40, and the user may thentoggle the pawl 70, which may be disposed in proximity to the fingergraspable recess 61R of the cocking member. This toggling (i.e.rotation) of the pawl 70 may cause its tongue 71 to be positioned, whereit may not engage any of the teeth, after which the force applied by theuser may be slowly decreased, and the cocking member 60 may thus beallowed to be slowly be biased to slide part way towards the first end21 and into another cocked position where the pawl may be released toengage a tooth thereat (e.g., tooth 25B), or it may be slid all the wayto return the ball holder 30 at its first position.

In yet another embodiment, the cocking member 60 may be releasablycoupled to the ball holder 30, the latching pawl member 70 mayadditionally be biased (e.g., by a torsion spring) into engagement withthe ratchet teeth, (e.g., 25A, 25B, 25C, 25D, etc.), and a triggerassembly may be used, to more conveniently permit holding, aiming, andlaunching of the ball using the device 10, similar to the manner inwhich a radar gun may be aimed by a law enforcement officer. The ballmay thus be launched from device 10 using one hand or both hands.

The releasable coupling of the cocking member 60 to the ball holder 30may utilize a hook member 64 (FIG. 13) that may have a first end and asecond end, the first end of the hook member may include a hook portion(e.g., 65A and/or 65B). The hook member 64 may be pivotally mounted tothe second portion 62 of the cocking member 60 using pin 66, at aposition that may be distal from its first end (e.g., at its secondend). The distal second end of the hook member 64 may have a downwardextending flange 67. A spring, e.g., a tension spring or a torsionspring (not shown) mounted to pin 66, may bias the hook portion 65 ofthe hook member 64 to normally pivot towards the second cocking memberportion 62. The ball holder 30 may include a recess or multiple recesses(or protrusions) respectively configured to receive (or be engaged by)the hook portion(s) of the hook member 64. The forward facing portion66A/66B of the hook portions (65A/65B) of the hook member 64 may beangled, to permit automatic engagement with the recess(es) in the ballholder 30, when the cocking member 60 is moved into proximity with theball holder at its first position, to be releasably coupled thereto (seeFIG. 4 and FIG. 14). The trigger assembly may be configured, whenactuated, to trigger disengagement of the hook portions (65A/65B) of thehook member 64 from the ball holder 30, to release the restraint, andpermit the elastomeric member 40 to accelerate the ball holder towardsthe housing first end 21 to launch the ball therefrom.

The trigger assembly, as seen in FIG. 15, may include a trigger member81 and a release member 90. The trigger member 81 may be slidablymounted within the generally hollow hand grip portion 20H of the housing20, and may have a forward-most portion 81F that may be curved and maybe exposed, and may be facing, but offset from, the trigger guard 20G.The trigger member 81 may have an upwardly disposed protrusion 82 thatmay be received within a recess 92 of the release member 90. Therelease-member 90 may have an elongated arm 91A that may be disposed inthe axial direction within the cavity of housing 20, and which may havea plurality of serrations or teeth (e.g., 93A, 93B, 93C, etc.) formed onan upper edge thereof. The housing 20 may have a first pin 27 and asecond pin 28 protruding inwardly into the housing cavity, and theelongated arm 91A may having first and second shaped openings 97 and 98,which may respectively track upon the pins 27/28 to impart particularmotion to the release member 90, in the manner of a cam and follower.The shaped openings 97 and 98 may first angle downwardly when moving inthe axial direction toward the housing first end 21, and may thengenerally extend to be parallel to the axial direction. Therefore, asseen in FIG. 15, as the trigger member 81 is actuated (i.e., is pulledtoward the housing second end 22), the protrusion 82 engaged within therecess 92, being slidably engaged therein in a direction perpendicularto the axial direction 20X, may drive the release member 90 tocorrespondingly move.

With the angled portion of the shaped openings 97 and 98 first beingengaged by the pins 27/28, the rearward movement of the trigger 81 wouldcause relative movement of the release member, whereby it would bedriven to similarly move rearward toward the second end 22 and alsoupward towards the cocking member 60, so that the vertical portion ofone of the serrated teeth (e.g., tooth 93B) on its upper edge may beadjacent to the flange 67 of the cocking member. During this upward andrearward travel of the release member 90, the protrusion 82 of thetrigger member 81 may become slightly withdrawn, from the recess 92 ofthe release member, as it is elevated. As the axially extending portionof the shaped openings 97 and 98 next engage the pins 27/28, the releasemember 90 will be correspondingly driven to move substantially rearward,and thus the tooth (e.g., tooth 93B) that was positioned adjacent to theflange 67 of the cocking member 60 will contact the distal end of theflange, and cause it to pivot against the bias provided thereto, andcause it to uncouple from the ball holder 30. The unrestrained ballholder 30 will then be biased and accelerated by the elastomeric member40 towards its first position, and as it approaches the first position,it will be quickly decelerated by the springs 35, which prevent shockloading of the housing 20, and simultaneously permit launching of theball from the ball holder 30.

In another embodiment shown in FIG. 8, a transverse member 94, withinwhich the recess 92 may be formed (see FIG. 3). and may connect theelongated arm 91A that may be positioned on the left side of the housingcavity, with an elongated arm 91B that may be positioned on the rightside of the housing cavity. Each of the elongated arms 91A and 91B maybe formed with, the serrations, to redundantly be able to actuate theflange 67 of the cocking member 60 and cause it to pivot and uncouplefrom the ball holder 30.

While illustrative implementations of one or more embodiments of thepresent invention are provided hereinabove, those skilled in the art andhaving the benefit of the present disclosure will appreciate thatfurther embodiments may be implemented with various changes within thescope of the present invention. Other modifications, substitutions,omissions and changes may be made in the design, size, materials used orproportions, operating conditions, assembly sequence, or arrangement orpositioning of elements and members of the exemplary embodiments withoutdeparting from the spirit of this invention.

Accordingly, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should notbe limited by any of the above-described example embodiments, but shouldbe defined only in accordance with the following claims and theirequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A compact ball-launching dog toy comprising: anelongated housing having a first end and a second end, said elongatedhousing comprising: an opening at said first end defining an elongatedinterior surface of a cavity; and an elongated opening interconnectedwith said cavity; a hall holder disposed in said housing cavity andconfigured to slide in an axial direction of said elongated housing froma first position proximate to said opening at said first end of saidelongated housing, to a second position between said first position andsaid second end of said elongated housing; an elastomeric membercomprising a length, said elastomeric member selectively arranged withinsaid elongated housing to bias said ball holder from said secondposition towards said first position; a cocking member coupled to saidball holder, said cocking member comprising: a first portion disposedoutside of said elongated housing; a second portion disposed within saidhousing cavity; and a neck portion between said first and secondportions, said neck portion configured to be slidable within saidelongated opening; and wherein said first portion, of said cockingmember is configured, to be actuated by a user to oppose said bias andpull said cocking member toward the user's body into a cocked position,with said second end of said elongated housing positioned against theuser's body, for said ball holder to be moved from said first positionat least part-way towards said second position.
 2. The compactball-launching dog toy according to claim 1, further comprising a latchconfigured to releasably secure said cocking member and said ball holderat said cocked position, to releasably hold said elastomeric member inan extended position, to oppose said bias thereof.
 3. The compactball-launching dog toy according to claim 2, wherein said cocking memberis releasably coupled to said ball holder, said compact ball-launchingdog toy further comprising a trigger assembly movably mounted to saidelongated housing, and configured, when actuated, to trigger said latch,to release said ball holder and permit said elastomeric member toaccelerate said ball holder towards said first end of said elongatedhousing to launch the ball therefrom.
 4. The compact ball-launching dogtoy according to claim 3, further comprising a first pulley and a secondpulley rotatably mounted to a first side and a second side of saidhousing cavity, respectively, in proximity to said first end of saidelongated housing; and wherein said elastomeric member selectivelyarranged within said elongated housing comprises: a first end and asecond end said elastomeric member each respectively secured to saidfirst side and said second side of said housing cavity, in proximity tosaid second end of said elongated housing, with said elastomeric memberwound over said first pulley, around a portion of said ball holder, andover said second pulley, to provide said bias.
 5. The compactball-launching dog toy according to claim 4, wherein said latchcomprises: a plurality of ratchet teeth protruding from said interiorsurface of said housing cavity, said ratchet teeth successivelypositioned between said first end and said second end of said elongatedhousing; a pawl pivotally mounted to said cocking member, with a firstportion of said pawl configured to engage one of said plurality ofratchet teeth at said cocked position; a hook member having a first endand a second end, said first, end of said hook member comprising a hookportion, said hook member pivotally mounted, distally from said firstend, to said second portion of said cocking member; a spring configuredto bias said hook portion of said hook member to pivot towards saidsecond cocking member portion; a recess in said ball holder; said hookportion of said hook member configured to automatically engage saidrecess of said ball holder, when said cocking member is moved intoproximity with said ball holder [at said first position], to bereleasably coupled thereto; means for biasing said pawl into engagementwith said one of said plurality of ratchet teeth, to releasably retainsaid coupled cocking member and ball holder at said cocked position; andwherein said trigger assembly is configured, when actuated, to disengagesaid hook portion of said hook member from said recess of said ballholder, for said elastomeric member to accelerate said ball holdertoward said first end of said elongated housing.
 6. The compactball-launching dog toy according to claim 5, wherein said pivotallymounted pawl further comprises a second portion disposed outside of saidelongated housing, being actuable to pivot said pawl to becomedisengaged from said one of said plurality of ratchet teeth, for saidcocking member to freely move with respect to said elongated opening. 7.The compact ball-launching dog toy according to claim 6, wherein saidfirst portion of said cocking member comprises a finger graspable recesson a top thereof, being configured to receive at least four fingers ofthe user to extend said elastomeric member; and wherein said secondportion of said pawl is disposed in proximity to said finger graspablerecess of said first portion of said cocking member.
 8. The compactball-launching dog toy according to claim 7 wherein when said cockingmember is in said cocked position with said pawl first portion engagedwith said one of said plurality of ratchet teeth, said second portion ofsaid pivotally mounted pawl being actuable to adjust said cocking memberfrom said cocked position to another cocked position, for said pawlfirst portion to engage a second of said plurality of ratchet teeth. 9.The compact ball-launching dog toy according to claim 7 wherein whensaid cocking member is in said cocked position with said pawl firstportion engaged with said one of said plurality of ratchet teeth, saidsecond portion of said pivotally mounted pawl being actuable todisengage said pawl first portion from said one of said plurality ofratchet teeth, to move said ball holder back to said first position,without said trigger being actuated to trigger said latch, to releasesaid elastomeric member.
 10. The compact ball-launching dog toyaccording to claim 7, wherein said elongated housing further comprises ahandle portion extending away from a bottom of said elongated housing,proximate to said second end.
 11. The compact ball-launching dog toyaccording to claim 10, wherein said trigger assembly comprises: atrigger member slidably mounted with respect to said handle portion ofsaid elongated housing; and a release member, said release membercomprising a transverse member and a pair of elongated arms configuredto extend from said transverse member, and configured to extend in saidaxial direction at a bottom of said housing cavity; a top of each ofsaid pair of arms comprising a plurality of teeth, and side of each ofsaid pair of arms comprising a pair of shaped openings; wherein saidelongated housing comprises a pair of pins protruding inwardly into saidcavity from a first side and a second side of said cavity; and whereinsaid pair of shaped opening on each of said pair of arms is configuredto respectively track on said pins on said, first and second sides ofsaid elongated housing to cause said arms to first elevate intoengagement with said hook member, and to subsequently translated axiallyto drive said hook member to cause said disengagement of said hookportion from said recess of said ball holder, for said elastomericmember to accelerate said ball holder toward said first end of saidelongated housing.
 12. The compact ball-launching dog toy according toclaim 7, further comprising a first deceleration spring and a seconddeceleration spring mounted to said first side and said second side ofsaid housing cavity, respectively, in proximity to said first and secondpulleys, to prevent shock loading of said elongated housing by said ballholder.
 13. The compact ball-launching dog toy according to claim 7,wherein said ball holder comprises a spherical sector configured toreceive a portion of the ball therein, a first inward protruding lip,and a second inward protruding lip; said first and second inwardprotruding lips configured to releasably engage the ball in a slightfriction fit.
 14. The compact ball-launching dog toy according to claim7, wherein said elongated opening of said elongated housing comprises alength of less than 19.6 inches.
 15. The compact ball-launching dog toyaccording to claim 7, wherein said elongated opening of said elongatedhousing comprises a length of 16 inches; and wherein said elastomericmember comprises a spring constant configured to launch a tennis ballfrom the ball holder at least fifty feet, when said cocked positioncomprises a position being with said pawl first portion engaged withsaid one of said plurality of ratchet teeth for said cocking member tobe at an end of said elongated, opening in said elongated housing beingdistal from, said first end of said elongated housing.
 16. Aball-launching toy comprising: a housing having a first end and a secondend, said housing comprising: an opening at said first end defining aninterior surface of a cavity; and an elongated opening interconnectedwith said cavity; a ball holder disposed in said housing cavity andbeing configured to slide in a direction away from a first positionbeing proximate to said opening at said housing first end, to a secondposition proximate to said second-end of said housing; an elastomericmember comprising a length, said elastomeric member selectively arrangedwithin said housing to bias said ball holder from said second positiontowards said first position; a cocking member comprising: a firstportion, disposed outside of said housing; and a neck portion extendingfrom said first portion and configured to be slidable within saidhousing opening, said neck portion extending from said ball holder; andwherein said first portion of said cocking member is configured to beactuated to oppose said bias and to move, said cocking member towardsaid second end of said housing into a cocked position, for said ballholder to be moved from said first position to said second position. 17.The ball-launching toy according to claim 16, further comprising a latchconfigured to releasably secure said cocking member at said cockedposition, and oppose said bias to releasably hold said elastomericmember in an extended position.
 18. The ball-launching toy according toclaim 17, wherein said cocking member is releasably coupled to said ballholder, said compact ball-launching dog toy further comprising a triggerassembly movably mounted to said housing, and configured, when actuated,to trigger said latch, to release said ball holder and permit saidelastomeric member to accelerate said ball holder towards said housingfirst end to launch the ball therefrom.
 19. The ball-launching toyaccording to claim 18, further comprising a first pulley and a secondpulley rotatably mounted to a first side and a second side of saidhousing cavity, respectively, in proximity to said housing first end;and wherein said elastomeric member selectively arranged within saidhousing comprises: a first end and a second end said elastomeric membereach respectively secured to said first side and said second side ofsaid housing cavity, in proximity to said housing second end, with saidelastomeric member wound over said first pulley, around a portion ofsaid ball holder, and over said second pulley, to provide said bias.